The Seventh Script
by Mer147
Summary: One day, Makarov asks Levy to partake in an S-Class quest as she is the only one capable of completing it. But when she needs a partner, Mira decides to force Gajeel into going with her. Together they solve the Seventh Script, and along the way they solve their relationship as well.
1. Chapter 1

**a/n: This is my first fan fiction ever and its rather like a Fairy Tail spin off so not exactly set at any precise moment, however its definitely when the guild hall was still intact and after Tenrou island.**

 **disclaimer: I do not own any of these Fairy Tail characters. They belong to Hiro Mashima.**

It was just another day at the guild; nothing particularly out of the ordinary except for the fact that the main source of all noise and commotion came from Team Shadow Gear's cheerleaders rather than Natsu and Gray's typical head-to-head bouts.

The pair causing the current ruckus was standing in front of the crowded request board arguing over whether to go on a mission involving gardening and the banishment of nasty critters or to head to the mountains to help a farmer transport raw materials from the summit to the base. Neither cared for the other's opinion and so Jet was talking over Droy, while Droy then began talking louder than Jet thus creating an incomprehensible argument with no obvious winner.

As per usual, sweet book-loving Levy, was sitting with her back to the board and her partners, bent over the newest addition to her ever growing library. Seemingly absorbed in the contents of the tome, she barely even noticed when two other guildmates joined her at her table.

"Hey, Lev-chan!", Lucy said as she slid next to her small blue-haired friend. Lucy giggled as Levy didn't even flinch at her greeting, obviously completely engrossed in her book. "Yo Levy!" Natsu exclaimed while sitting across from Lucy. Levy then looked up and blushed slightly, mumbling her 'hello' before returning to her book. Natsu on the other hand, rolled his eyes at Lucy with a smile. "She found another book, huh?" he remarked. Slightly shaking her head while smiling Lucy replied with the ever so popular, "That's Levy for you.". The conversation soon switched topics, and Natsu and Lucy left Levy to her novel.

On the other side of the hall, Happy the blue Exceed was loitering around Carla and Wendy's table, gathering enough courage to offer his crush another fish despite subconsciously knowing he was to be rejected. Again.

Everything else was as it should be: busy and boisterous. Gray was avoiding Juvia as she confessed her love for him; Elfman and Evergreen were pretending they weren't just making out behind the building; the rest of the Raijinshuu were crowded around Laxus ready to see to his every need and Cana was drinking by the barrel as usual.

Gajeel entered the building, fully aware of everything happening before he opened the doors. The sensitive senses a Dragon Slayer acquires and the knowledge one receives after being part of Fairy Tail prepares you for whatever lies behind the guild doors.

He strode in with his black Exceed, Pantherlily, in tow. Lily was unusually in his warrior form despite the absence of imminent danger. At the back of room, sensing the Slayer's arrival, a curious pair of brown eyes glanced up from her book to make contact with a pair of intense red eyes before looking back down again.

 _He's alright then_ , Levy thought after a quick scan of the man in question, as she always did after this particular man's return from a mission. She sensed a small burden being lifted of her chest and a quick wave of relief washed over her. Immediately after the feeling went, she scolded herself. _There was nothing to be worried about Levy. You know he can take care of himself. He doesn't need you worrying over him. He doesn't want you worrying over him._ Her silent thoughts lead to a tiny crease between her eyebrows, reminiscent of a frown. To others, she would have seemed absorbed in a frustrating scene in her book, though Gajeel knew better.

 _What's wrong, Shrimp?_ he thought, noticing the out of character frown. Still pondering over her expression he walked over to his table in the corner of the room, soon joined by his partner.

"You're thinking about her again" Pantherlily remarked as he saw the strange look his friend got whenever a certain mage was on his mind. Gajeel looked up with a scowl, "Am not! Stupid cat..".

"Yes you were. I saw that starry look in your eye, and if you weren't, would you care to explain then why she was the first person you were deliberately looking for as soon as we came in?" Lily smiled. He had Gajeel stuck.

"I-I, that is she ain't the first person I saw. And you're probably imagining things again. I don't get starry-eyed."

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't."

"Yes. You do! Don't bother arguing back, you get that look in your eye and you can't deny it!"

"Yer growing old and seeing things. My eyes don't look like nothing other than iron."

"That made absolutely no sense. You have red eyes."

"This conversation is getting out of hand! I know what I saw."

"Mmmphmm," Gajeel snorted, "yeah, well- uh, well go be a good cat and join your friends." He lamely finished the argument while pointedly looking over at the other Exceeds talking amiably with Wendy.

As Lily walked off, now in his regular form, to join his friends, the atmosphere in the room shifted slightly. With his advanced hearing he could pick out voices coming from behind the bar where the Master's office was. It wasn't an argument but he couldn't tell quite yet. As the voices got nearer, the hall gradually got quieter, until all was almost silent. He knew that by now everyone was waiting for whoever was talking to emerge and were hoping to listen in on their conversation.

Finally, from a door behind the bar, Mirajane and Master Makarov appeared, both engaged in conversation. It wasn't an argument, Gajeel concluded confirming his earlier thoughts, but rather a one-sided agreement. The She-Devil was doing most of the talking with the Master chiming in with comments of agreement.

Their conversation stopped as soon as they realized everyone was listening, however, both Mira and Gramps had already decided on whatever they were talking about in the first place.

"Haven't you nosey lot ever heard of respecting others' conversations?" Gramps suddenly said facing everyone .

Despite his short stature, his voice easily carried out to all four corners of the room.

"Leave them be," Mira replied with a giggle. "They were curious after all. It's only in our nature as Fairy Tail members."

After a long serious look around the room, the Master burst into giggles. "Listen to any conversation you want brats! But don't listen to mine.." With that final statement, he turned back around and into his room, pausing just once more to shout behind him.

"Levy! Come to my office. Now!"

All eyes were on the petite mage, who in shock at being called out had dropped her book. Her frown was more pronounced as her face scrunched up assuming a confused expression. _I don't know why she was called out but damn she looks cut-_ Gajeel cut himself off from finishing that thought instead wondering, like the other guild members, why Levy was called into the Master's office.

Levy stood up and walked to the door the Master just disappeared behind, all the while thinking _What did I do wrong?_ As usual, Jet and Droy, Levy's biggest cheerleaders followed her, adding their own exclamations to the confusion. Just as Levy was about to go through the door, Mira put out her arm, preventing Jet and Droy from following her. Both of them annoyed they began convincing her to let them through but Mira just shook her head at them and shut the door.

"Come on Mira! We want to know what's happening!"

"Yeah, she's our team member. We deserve to know!"

"She didn't do anything wrong!"

"If Master is going to punish her, let him punish us instead. We would be as much responsible as she is!"

Mira finally had heard enough. "She's not being punished. She didn't do anything wrong, don't worry. But I can't let you through. This is between the Master and Levy". She looked at them in thought, "And me too, I guess" she added with a little smile before returning back to work.


	2. Chapter 2

**a/n: hello readers! I'm actually really surprised that people are reading my work! It's literally so shocking to me. Thank you so much! I'll try to upload chapters as fast as possible. Hopefully maybe finish the story before school starts. Please leave comments on how I can improve the story or any ideas. Sorry if the characters are a bit OOC. I'll try to keep them as close to the original as possible. Anyway, thanks for reading guys!**

 **Mer x**

Levy cautiously wandered into the Master's office. _What did I do?_ she wondered over and over again. _This can't be because I 'accidently' took home those books from the guild library. No-one reads them anyway._ She looked around for the dwarf of a man all the while silently reprimanding herself. _I knew I shouldn't have taken it. Gramps would've found out; he knows everything!_

"No need to beat yourself up for things you haven't done, child." An elderly but powerful voice sounded from the chair in the corner. "I'm not going to punish you or anything. Just want to talk to you about something very, _very_ important. Now take a seat."

Finally locating the source of the voice, Levy allowed herself to relax. _Phew. It's not about the books after all. But what could it be about?_ She wandered over to one of the chairs standing front of the mahogany desk and took a seat.

"Now then, child. As you can see from the rest of the guild's reactions that I don't usually have people come in here. But this is a very important exception and what I must ask of you must not be known by your comrades."

Levy's face scrunched up in a confused expression. "Master, I don't think you should tell me anything secretive. You know with my friends, I'll never be able to keep it!"

"Not to worry. It's not a secret, per say. I need to ask you for a favour. It can be dangerous and I don't ever usually ask this of mages who aren't S-Class yet, but this is one of those rare exceptions."

 _Now I'm really confused. It's not about the book after all, but what is this about!_ Levy tried her best to remain patient and wait for the Master's favour.

"Recently, a request has come in for someone to decipher a series of runes." Makarov finally revealed with a sigh. _I shouldn't be asking this of someone not yet tested, but Mira thinks she is ready. She is really the only one who can do this._ "These runes are not the easiest to cipher, but the archaeologist guild who requested this job can't solve it themselves, though they've been trying to ever since it was discovered. Apparently, near Acalypha, an ancient wall has appeared, encircling a part of the forest. There is no obvious entrance, and many have tried going over it but the walls seem to be enchanted and those who climb over somehow seem to turn around and climb back to the ground." The Master sighed, looking at the bluenette before him wondering once again if he should really ask this of her. "One part of the wall is covered in runes. Many have come from all over Fiore trying to understand the words, as it may hold a clue as to how to enter the walls. You understand what I'm asking of you, Levy? As we don't know what is inside those walls, or how that place came to be, this could very well be one of the most dangerous S-Class quests we've had in a while."

Levy's eyes had steadily grown wider as Makarov was talking. _Me? S-Class quest?_ The favour the Master was asking of her was no easy feat and inflicted her with a great many questions.

"But..but why me? If all those people couldn't solve it, what makes you think I can?"

The Master could sense the growing panic in the girl's eyes. "I'm not sure if you will be able to do it. But I have faith in you, as I do in all my brats. You're a Fairy Tail mage! And one thing Fairy Tail wizards do best is conquer the unconquerable."

His words resounded in Levy's ears and she knew them to be true. Fairy Tail never gives up, and it would bring shame to them if she gave up before she even started. She had to do it, and maybe once she did _he-_ Levy didn't let herself finish that thought. To think that as soon as she was given an opportunity as rare as this, she would be wondering whether it would place her higher in _his_ books.

"I-I'll try. I'll do it!" she said before she could even think any more of the situation.

Gramps breathed a sigh of relief. For a second there, he thought the Solid Script Mage was going to refuse. _I have high hopes for her, even though she was originally Mira's idea. She can do it. And she will bring more pride to our guild._ He thought, more confident than ever that she was the right choice.

"I knew you would," he said with a smile. "There are several conditions, though. This request is a secret. The archaeologists who sent it in don't want word of the ancient wall going around as much as it already has. Therefore, you mustn't tell anybody about this job and instead only say that I've sent you on a personal errand. Secondly, this is a competition of sorts. Other archaeologist guilds have also sent requests, and for this mission to be a successful one, you must complete it before the others. Lastly, due to secrecy and in order for you to travel faster, I can only allow you to bring with you, one person. I'm sorry to break up your team, however, it is vital that no word of this job gets out and that you can complete this quest with little to no distractions."

"I understand completely," Levy added, nodding all through the instructions.

"I knew you would. Now go to the bar; Mira will give you the rest of the details."

Levy stood up fast, her heart pounding. _An S-Class quest meant for me! This is perfect. I'll solve it and prove to everyone that I'm strong too._ She walked fast towards the door, her steps light and her face beaming.

The Master chuckled under his breath. Who knew that Fairy Tail had their very own little fairy.

Once outside the office, she was immediately bombarded by questions. She tried her best to answer them as discreetly as possible without giving away anything important. Trying as she could, the crowd around her was too thick to push through and get to the bar. Everyone just wanted to know why she was called into Gramps' office in the first place.

"He just wants me to run a small errand," Levy replied to all the questions with this simple sentence but she knew that the curiosity of the guild would not be satiated with that simple statement. _Easy, my word!_ She thought to herself with a secret smile. 

"Stop pestering her," Mirajane joined the large group with a smile. "She's just running an errand for the Master that's all!" she ended with a giggle.

"That's all?"

"That can't be all!"

"Yeah, you said so yourself that only you and the Master knew why she was in there for!"

Levy smiled as she caught Droy's remarks from the onslaught of comments now directed at Mira.

"And, and if it's just an errand, then why were you smiling all secret and that? Huh?" Jet joined in, incapable of letting Droy say something without seeing it as a move to win Levy's heart.

With a giggle, Mira replied back to all of them, "I just love teasing you all! What's a girl got to do to have some fun around here?" Somehow during her simple remark, Mira's eyes had grown wider and her mouth was set in a gentle pout that she knew no one could resist.

The crowd was filled with mumbles and awkward silences as they dispersed completely disappointed in their lack of gossip.

"Come, Levy. I have some things for you," Mira turned to Levy then and spoke directly to her.

"Huh? Oh-oh yeah! I'm coming." Levy had forgotten during the commotion why she was looking for Mira in the first place.

She walked and caught up to Mirajane who was once again behind the bar. Behind Mira's bent figure, were racks of alcohol bottles and barrels stacked up high. Levy knew that in the cupboards under the counter that there was a seemingly unlimited supply of cups and plates and food. As Mira finally came up from rustling through drawers, Levy felt a pair of eyes on her.

The hairs on her neck rose, knowing exactly who was looking at her. She made a move to turn around before she stopped herself. _No. Don't turn around. You don't need him to know that you like him. He's just going to tease you for it. He probably doesn't like you in that way either. Though... he does keep looking at me._ Levy slightly blushed at the thought of Gajeel ran through her mind.

"Okay! Here we are, then," Mira had a stack of papers next to her. "So this is the request flyer," she held up one of the pages and gave it to Levy. "And these are just some photos and notes the archaeologists have acquired. They thought it might be some use to us. Well, to you actually," she said with a smile.

Levy took the flyer from her and read through it. Twice. The rewards mentioned were rather bland compared to the other rewards she knew the S-Class Mages received but the mention of 'a secret only the solver of this quest will be privy to' she instantly perked up. _A secret only I would be privy to? Hmmm, must be referring to whatever is inside those walls._

"Levy? Levy, are you alright?" Mira asked. _That girl always gets lost in her thoughts, doesn't she?_ she smiled.

"Huh? Oh! Sorry Mira-chan, did you say something?" Levy frantically looked over at Mira as she tried to recollect her thoughts. _I really need to stop daydreaming like that._

"I was just asking about who you were going to bring on your job."

Jet and Droy, hearing Mira's last words while heading to Levy, rushed up and butted into the conversation.

"Obviously, she's going to take us!"

"Yeah, Mira! What kind of question is that? We are Team Shadow Gear! We never get separated."

Mira just smiled at them. "Actually, Gramps has only allowed Levy-chan to bring one person on her job."

"Well, then she's definitely bringing me!" Jet shouted!

"What are you talking about, Jet? She needs me more!" Droy intervened.

"She needs someone who is fast not someone who can barely move, Droy. I'm obvious-"

"Don't even finish that! You're too fast for her and you'll distract her. She needs me! I'm calmer and my powers are more adaptable!"

Jet and Droy began arguing again causing another commotion. At each of their comments, Levy grew redder and redder. She really didn't like to see her teammates fight but did they have to do it at her expense. Looking around, she realised that they were drawing in attention.

With a sigh, she jumped off her stool and papers in hand walked away to an empty table near the request board.

Suddenly, she fell backwards on to her butt and her papers flew everywhere. "Ow!" She looked up and saw that the reason she had fallen was due to a large figure in her way. Gajeel.

"What ya doin on the floor, Shrimp?"

"I wouldn't be on the floor if you weren't in my way!" she said crossly while gathering her papers.

Gajeel stooped down to help her with the mess. Levy was very aware of him at that moment. She could feel his body heat at their close distance and could hear his breathing. Just as they were both reaching for the flyer, their hands brushed against each other and Levy jumped back, her stack of papers clutched in her hands and her face burning red.

 _Calm down, calm down, calm down!_ she told herself. Her colour had faded to a rosy blush just as Gajeel stood up with the flyer in his hand.

"You're very jumpy today, Shrimp." Gajeel offered the flyer to Levy. She reached for the proffered paper but before she could even grap it, he had taken it back and began reading it.

"No! Don't read that. What are you doing?!" Levy panicked. If he read that then I would have already failed one of the rules Master told me to follow.

Gajeel let out a low whistle, and cocked one of his heavily pierced brows. "An S-Class quest, huh?"


	3. Chapter 3

**a/n: I'm just going to go straight on to the story, but thank you for reading this far x**

 **disclaimer: Fairy Tail is still not mine. Belongs to Hiro Mashima.**

Gajeel let out a low whistle and cocked one of his heavily pierced brows. "An S-Class quest, huh?"

"Give that back, Gajeel!" Levy desperately asked getting back onto her feet. She knew it was a lost cause as soon as Gajeel had read the job title.

"Now why would a shrimp like you be going on a quest like this?" Gajeel looked at Levy, head tilted slightly to the right.

"It's- It's none. Of. Your. Business." Levy breathed out as she jumped up high attempting to reach for the flyer that the Dragon Slayer held so tantalisingly just out of her reach.

Gajeel ignored her efforts and began reading the details entailed in the job, smirking as he did so. Completely oblivious to what Levy was doing, he almost didn't see his Shrimp tugging on Mirajane's skirt begging her to unleash her demon soul on him. Looking down from the paper, he could see that Mira was smiling gently and trying not to laugh. There was a strange look in her eye as she looked between Gajeel and Levy. _One of these days,_ he thought, _one of these days I have to ask her why she keeps looking at us like she knows something._

"So, Gajeel. I take it that you're interested in being Levy's partner for the job right?" Mira couldn't hold it anymore. She had to give the clueless idiot that final push to get closer to Levy.

Levy looked confused. She turned her head and saw Gajeel slightly flushed. _Was he blushing?_

"I don't know what you're talking about." he finally got out.

"Well, since you read Levy-chan's job request, you must be interested in going with her. I mean, why else would you have read it in the first place?" she smirked.

"Not to go with her!" he nearly shouted that last remark. He couldn't help but notice a shadow of sadness flit across Levy's face. "I read it just... because..." he trailed off. Did he imagine the expression on Levy's face?

"Mmmhhmm. Okay, then." Mira's smile grew even wider. "But see, here. Levy was sworn to secrecy on her job, and since you now know what it necessitates, well let's just say you're the only logical choice as a partner."

 _Shit. That devil is plotting something. And I played right into her trap._ He mentally face-palmed himself. However, the rational part of his mind brought up an idea that tempted him even more than fighting with the she-devil. _It won't be so bad to go on a job with Levy, would it._

Jet and Droy rushed to Levy's side. "Mira-chan! Are you trying to separate Team Shadow Gear?" Droy cried as Jet patted his shoulder. _They don't seem to have heard anything about what the job entailed_ , Levy thought in relief.

"Levy do you want this blockhead to come with you? You don't right. She doesn't want to go on her special job with that metal brain, Mira-chan!" Jet talked so fast he barely allowed Levy to answer his questions.

She sighed. They were at it again. Two-thirds of her team were pining over her trying to be the one chosen to go on the job with her. She'd had enough. She loved them dearly but as friends. If she was honest with herself, their arguments were becoming repetitive and wearisome.

"JET! DROY! STOP FIGHTING!" she finally shouted unable to hold it in anymore.

Naturally, everyone in the guild stopped what they were doing to look at the group near the request board all the while wondering what had made sweet, calm and quiet Levy snap. Noticing the guilty shocked expressions Jet and Droy sported, everyone merely went back to their own doings thinking it was about time those two were told to stop.

Levy's face was flushed with anger and hurt. She had just seen Gajeel's face contorted in what she assumed was disgust at being considered at being her partner and her heart ached that he thought she was merely something to tease and nothing more. And to add fuel to the fire, her two best friends were fighting over her again, even after she had rejected them both.

"Gajeel," she turned to face the Slayer, her voice calm and monotonous. But Gajeel swore he heard a tiny crack in her voice.

"Wha-" he was cut off before he could finish speaking.

"I wouldn't mind if you wanted to come with me on this job. But, only if you wanted to. I don't want you to come if you'd rather be somewhere else."

Silence settled over the group. _How should I answer? She's putting me in the spotlight here, damn Shrimp._ Gajeel's mouth opened and closed making him look like a fish in water.

"So it's settled then! Gajeel and Levy you'll be going on that job tomorrow." Mira broke the awkward tension with her usual cheerful speech.

Jet and Droy had long since sulked off after being shouted at by Levy. They annoyed her they knew, but they weren't idiots. They knew when they had crossed the line and thought it best to stay out of her way for a while.

Both Levy and Gajeel looked at Mira. "So then, both of you will meet here at dawn where I will give you any more information I can find and then you'll be off. Don't forget to bring your things with you; it's a six-hour train ride to Acalypha so you better rest up." With one more smile, she twirled around and went back behind the bar, where already Macao and Wakaba were missing her presence.

Levy stared at her feet, burning a hole in the ground after Mira went. Talking quietly, but in a volume, she knew the Slayer would hear, she whispered, "It's alright if you don't want to come. I'll go alone." She began to take a step towards the guild doors before turning around to face Gajeel. "Just please don't tell anyone about the job. It's meant to be a secret after all." She gave him a small, sad smile before turning back around and walking quickly out to prepare for the journey ahead of her.

 _It's alright if I don't want to come? Who said I didn't want to come? Maybe I should've said something..._ Gajeel's thought's trailed off as he spied Pantherlily shaking his head in the corner.

Gajeel stomped towards his cat wanting an explanation to his Shrimp's strange behaviour.

"When are you going to get a brain, you dolt?" Pantherlily said upright before Gajeel even sat down.

"Whaddya mean? She's the one acting funny!" Gajeel attempted to defend himself.

"You idiot. What was that reaction on your face when Mira asked you to be Levy's partner?"

"I didn't have nothin' on my face!" Gajeel looked confused as to what Lily was referring too. A thought struck him. _Wait, maybe those conflicting thoughts were written on my face..._

"Yes. Everything you were thinking showed on your face." Lily told him.

"How did you know what I was thinkin'?"

"Like I said. Everything you think, that has anything remotely to do with _her_ shows on your face." Lily jumped onto the table in front of Gajeel. "Do you have any idea what you looked like to her?"

Gajeel opened his mouth to retort back but was interrupted by Lily. "You looked as if you couldn't bear to be in her presence. As if the very thought of going on a job alone with her disgusted you. That poor girl probably thinks you don't like her and only use her as an item to tease."

 _That explains the hurt I thought I saw flash before her eyes._ Gajeel closed his eyes and groaned quietly.

"And why didn't you say anything to her after she said she wouldn't mind going on a job with her? Why didn't you say anything at all, numbskull? Couldn't you tell that Mira was just trying to give you a push into confessing your feeling for her?" Pantherlily had grown noticeably more frustrated. Gajeel's idiocy and complete lack of observation were preventing him from noticing that Levy felt the same way about him too.

"I didn't know what to say," Gajeel lamely said.

Lily rolled his eyes and said slowly, "Do you or do you not want to go on this job with her?"

"Course I do, but what can I do now? She thinks I hate her."

"Go after her. I hope you're not letting her go alone." Pantherlily said suddenly quiet.

"Damn right I'm not! That job is fuckin dangerous, she shouldn't even be _thinking_ about going alone." Gajeel growled getting up from his seat.

"Lily! I'm going after her. If I don't see you for a while, I'm hopefully on that job." He smiled. "With her."

With a whirl of his cloak, he turned around and headed outside, following Levy's delicious scent back to her home.


	4. Chapter 4

**a/n: The last chapter wasn't as long as I planned it to be so I'll try to make this longer to make up for it x**

 **Mer**

Gajeel thundered down the crowded streets of Magnolia. It was only high noon, and everyone was jammed onto the streets as if they didn't have anything else to do. He had to run faster as he caught a whiff of Levy's slowly fading scent before it mingled with that of the civilians in the city.

He turned a corner fast and slipped on something, colliding with a crash against some boxes. "Oomph, that fuckin hurt." He got up rubbing the arm he had landed heavily on while looking for the source of his fall.

"Aha, there you are!" he exclaimed seeing the corner of some fabric peek through the debris resulted in his crash. He stooped down and pulled it out, immediately knowing it belonged to his Shrimp.

He held it against his nose, drinking in the heavenly scent. _Why does it smell slightly salty?_ Gajeel frowned looking down at what he now identified as Levy's bandana. _It's slightly damp too. Was she crying?_ Gajeel's heart splintered as he thought that his Shrimp was weeping. His pain was increased when he realised that it was probably most likely because of him.

With no warning he began sprinting again towards Fairy Hills, taking no heed of his injured arm. _I need to get to her,_ he thought as he leapt over crates and dodged the townspeople.

At last, the building he was running to loomed up ahead of him. None of the rooms above him showed any signs of movement or life behind the closed curtains. _Good, we'll be alone then._

Walking at a normal pace, he finally came to a stop under her window. The tree which he always climbed to watch her at night was behind him, several branches and leaves looking rather bald. He moved towards the brick wall and ran his hands over the rough surface. Once he found a decent hold he pulled himself up, climbing the wall brick by brick.

 _I did not think this through,_ he thought when he had reached Levy's window _._ With nothing else to hold on too, and the window closed, Gajeel might as well have been stuck in a train going around and around in loops.

With nothing else to do, Gajeel began swinging his body side to side, clinging to the wall with his now iron-scaled hands. _This hurts my arm. Ow._ But Gajeel was Gajeel and wouldn't let a hurt arm stop him from accomplishing what he came for.

Managing to gain enough height, he swung his legs above the window frame, turning them into sharp knife-like iron rods and dug them into the slightly crumbling mortar. With both feet now secure above the window, he let go of the bricks with his hands, allowing his body to follow the rules of gravity. He was upside down, but his hands were free.

He raised his left hand and began to knock on the window pane. The fragile glass rattled in its wooden framework and alerted anyone inside of his presence.

No answer.

He rapped on the window pane instead with his knuckles, accidently using to much force that he cracked the wood. _Shit, I have a splinter now,_ he thought while sucking on said offender.

 _Come on, Levy. I know you're in there._

He drew his uninjured hand and just as he was about to knock, he felt his right foot give a little. _Crap I'm going to fall soon._ "Levy! Please, open up! Levy! I need to talk to you, Shrimp!"

He was panicking now. The fall wouldn't kill him, but he would surely be injured enough to prevent him from going on the job with Levy. Wendy's magic power wasn't yet fully restored since her last job and wouldn't be able to heal him for a few days.

He knocked on the window again. "Levy! Shrimp! I'm going to fall! Just please open the window!"

His foot slipped down a crack in the brick and he knew that one more slip like that and he would surely fall. Reaching down to knock again, he heard the unmistakeable click of the window being opened and sure enough, a whiff of cinnamon and strawberries wafted right up to him.

"Gajeel! What are you doing?" Levy exclaimed, shocked the slayer's current position. She reached out and grabbed his arms trying to pull him inside.

"Eh? This? I do this sort of thing all the time, Shrimp." Gajeel said pulling himself in from the inside. Once his feet were free from the wall he collapsed in a heap under the window sill. _Why does the damn room have a window sill on the inside of the room?_ he thought unhappily.

He dusted himself off as he stood up, taking in the stacks and piles of books all around him. He could barely walk a metre in any direction without coming in contact with a novel of some kind. Glancing up at Levy, he noticed she was rather quiet.

"I understand if you don't want to talk to me," Gajeel started off, "but I just wanted to-"

"You wanted to apologise because Lily told you to." She looked up at him, unblinking, her mouth set in that cute pout he secretly adored. "It's not as if it's the first time you've come to apologise because of Lily."

"Oi! Lily didn't tell me to do anything. I came on my own!" But then again Lily did have something to do with it, though she didn't need to know that just now.

Levy's eyes grew wide with shock. _He came on his own?_ Levy couldn't help but feel slightly, very slightly flattered despite the Slayer's earlier actions.

"Well, what did you want?" she finally said.

"I, well, I wanted to say sorry first of all," Gajeel mumbled. Though he'd apologised for his actions a hundred times over, it never made it easier when he had to do it again.

"And, um, well, I uh.." He trailed off, noticing a half-packed bag on the empty space left on her bed.

"You're already packing then," he quickly changed the subject, gesturing with his head towards the bag.

Levy was confused at his subject change, thinking his awkward, mumbling self actually seemed cute and vulnerable. She looked over at where he was looking at.

"Mmm. Yeah."

The tension in the room had returned tenfold.

"So, who are you going with?" he blurted out before he could restrain himself. _She probably asked one of her lapdogs to go with her. She wouldn't go alone on a quest like this. She's way too smart for that._

"Um, I'm going alone. I already told you." Levy looked down at her feet, shuffling her toes across the carpet.

"Alone? Are you stupid? I thought you were smarter than that Levy! It's a fucking S-Class quest, and you're going fucking alone?!" Gajeel couldn't help himself. He exploded.

Levy looked up at him, fury glazed her eyes. "Well, it's not like I had a choice in the matter! I can't ask Jet or Droy without either of them thinking they had scored something and gloating about it and you refused to come. Everyone else was already busy with their own jobs so who else was I supposed to ask, huh?" Levy replied in the same manner.

"ANYONE!" Gajeel shouted. "Anyone.." he repeated albeit much quieter after seeing Levy's face.

She looked so sad and disappointed that he knew not replying to her back in the guild was a mistake. She was clearly looking forward to doing this job.

"You could've asked me," he finally said catching her eye.

Levy opened her mouth, to remind him that she already did but Gajeel cut her off.

"No. Mira forced me, and you went along with it. But I'm in no position to say anything now because you did afterwards. And I should've replied, but I didn't know what to say. What was going through my head then wasn't that I hated you, Shrimp, it was just that I wanted to go with you but didn't want the others to get the wrong impression. That I was only going to go on the job for the rewards and to score points with Makarov. And besides, at first, I didn't know you wanted me to come. Mira asked after all. I thought it would be best if I didn't go with you, thinking that what I once did to you would make you uncomfortable around me. I didn't want you to be uncomfortable. But one part of me did want to go. Badly."

While Gajeel was speaking, he had slowly made his way to where Levy was standing, and had placed his hands on her narrow shoulders. He looked directly into her amber eyes as she gazed into his crimson ones.

"Will you let me come with you?" he said, knowing the answer already.


	5. Chapter 5

**a/n: I just realised the date and turns out it's September already? And I've only got a few days before school starts, not the whole week I thought I had... So I'm going to try to upload as many as 3 chapters a day until school takes over my life. Thanks for reading again x Mer**

Gajeel was standing over Levy, his hands gripped her delicate frame. His face was mere inches apart from hers as he stared into her eyes looking for her answer. Levy blushed daintily, realising that if either of them were to move, their noses would brush against one another. She hastily took a step back, but clouded as her thoughts were with Gajeel's proximity, she forgot the tall stack of books directly behind her and she stumbled over them, falling.

"Ow," she mumbled, opening her eyes. Her breath caught as she realised whose face was hovering above hers. _Drats, I must've pulled him down with me._ Levy's thoughts were accompanied by a steady flush that slowly gained more colour, rising from her neck to her ears.

" _Gihi_. So, Shrimp, is this your way of saying yes?" Gajeel provided the petite girl with his trademark smirk.

"N-no, Gajeel. It was an accident. I -uh, I never, uh..." Levy's words were jumbled on her tongue and she was blubbering. She, the Solid Script Mage with a love of books, was at a loss for words.

Gajeel noticed her face go from a light pink to a daring crimson. _If she gets any redder than that she'll get a nosebleed,_ he thought, though he was pleased with her reaction at being in such a compromising position with him.

"Ga-Gajeel. Can you get off me? Please?" Levy got out. Her thoughts and emotions were finally under control.

"Now why would I want to do that, Shrimp?" Gajeel smirked even more. He came here to apologise, and now what had come of it made his heart soar.

"You're heavy, Gajeel!" she blurted rather bluntly.

Gajeel eyes grew wide with mirth and he rolled off her chuckling as he did so. He reached out his hand to help Levy get up. The bluenette reached for his hand, accepting his help, before immediately falling back to the floor with a yelp from Gajeel.

"Oooof! Wrong arm, shit!" he winced in obvious pain. He looked back down at Levy who had fallen back down after he had wrenched his arm from her grasp.

Levy clambered on to her feet, dusting herself off. "Are you hurt, Gajeel? I didn't do that did I?" she asked, obviously worried.

"You, Shrimp? Hurt me? _Gihi,_ nah, it's nothing. Just a bruise." Gajeel said, trying to convince himself too.

Levy rolled her eyes. "You don't honestly expect me to believe that, do you? Your shirt is torn there too and there's some blood as well," she said after a closer examination. She grabbed his upper arm, looking closely at the wound. "What _were_ you doing?" she inquired after a while.

"I-uh, I crashed into some crates," he replied in a tone one might discuss the weather in.

"And what were you doing crashing into crates?"

"I was chasing after you. It's not that easy running when those townspeople are crammed on the streets selling things."

Levy looked up at him. _He was chasing me. And he had said that he came of his own accord. Lily had nothing to do with this._

"Well, it's nothing too life-threatening at least," she said going back to his injury. "Just go sit down, and I'll be back with the first aid kit." She gestured at the space not yet claimed by either bags or books on her bed.

Gajeel sat down on the orange covers as he watched her walk to a cupboard in the corner. _I still haven't got an answer yet,_ he realised, but he dismissed the thought. He knew fully well what Levy's answer was. He looked around her cramped room and smiled. _Her personality really does show in everything she has touched,_ he remarked taking in the hundreds of books.

Levy walked back towards Gajeel on her bed. _Now that's something I never thought I'd see,_ she thought as she saw him sporting a small smile with his eyes half closed, sitting on her bed.

"I got some magic healing-ointment here," she pulled out an almost empty jar of clear ointment.

She sat on her knees on the floor in front of Gajeel and took hold of his arm. With a pair of scissors, she cut off any excess fabric and began cleaning the heavily grazed arm. As her finger brushed past a sore spot, Gajeel winced. A purplish bruise was forming there too, Levy noted.

She took out a length of gauze, and after smearing the jasmine-scented ointment on his arm, right above the forming bruise, she began to tightly wrap the bandage around his arm. Trying not to get distracted by the sheer hardness of his muscles or the veins that stood out on his tan skin, she tied a neat knot in the wrappings and tucked it away.

"Gajeel. I think you might have fractured your bone," she said. "I can get rid of the pain, but the magic ointment only does so much. You'll have to rest your arm a day or two so the bone can heal."

"Tch. A day or two? Ah, that's alright. It ain't like we have a battle planned during our journey to the city anyways."

Levy glanced up at the last remark. _Our journey?_ she thought. _So he really does want to come._ Faint colour reappeared in her cheeks. "I don't remember saying yes, Gajeel." She tried to keep her voice aloof and calm. As if she didn't care if he came or not.

Gajeel read through her tone. _Gihi,_ _she wants me to come._ "Alright them, Shrimp. Am I coming with you or not?" he asked directly.

Levy stared hard at the wall behind Gajeel's head. His arm was bandaged thoroughly and her hands were resting on his. She pondered the thought. _Should I let him come? I want him to come so much, but will he distract me? Gramps said no distractions. But, but he can help. I'm not that strong in fights. Yes, I'll have him come. I want him to come._

"Fine," she finally said, tearing her gaze from the wall to Gajeel's pierced face. A smirk grew on his face. "But on one condition," she interrupted before he could say anything.

"Sure, Shrimp. Whatever."

"You have to buy me a book." she smiled happily at that, knowing the Slayer's least favourite place the bookstore. She knew it was more to do with the fact that the tomes taunted him rather than a direct opposition due to her.

Gajeels eyes grew wide with shock. He _was_ surprised, to say the least, but then again, it wasn't such a strange request coming from Levy.

"Fine. A book it is," he replied. Levy's face grew happier with joy, and he couldn't help but feel lighthearted at seeing his Shrimp happy.

"Okay, then. Let's go!" Levy said, scrambling to her feet and heading to the door.

"What, now?"

"Yes, now! I was headed there before you knocked on my window."

Gajeel groaned inwardly. A bookstore. _Oh, joy!_ But he followed Levy out of Fairy Hills, with no further comment. All in all, he was pleased that he was going on a job alone with Levy. No lapdogs and no meddling cat in his way. Hopefully, by the end of it, he would've found enough courage to tell her his feelings for her.

"Hurry up, slow-poke!" Levy shouted at him, way in front of him, skipping towards the bookstore.

 _If anything does change during this trip,_ he thought with a smile, _it won't be her love of books, for sure._


	6. Chapter 6

**a/n: aah, so I did some calculations and apparently this is going to be a pretty long fanfic at the pace I'm proceeding with the story. Sorry about that x Mer**

Gajeel groaned for the hundredth time as he realised he had lost Levy again amongst the tall bookshelves. He had managed to lose her in the store once more. Walking around and peering into aisles, he tried to spy bright orange and soft blue in the dusty brown of the shop.

 _Ah, there she is._ He spotted Levy sitting on the ground in one of the aisles, books lying open all around her. She seemed to be muttering to herself, running her hand through her unruly hair.

"If you could move in a fight as fast as you do in the bookshop, you would never lose," he commented as he plopped down next to her. He picked up one of the books and flitted through the pages barely reading any words. _She smells like parchment too_ , he thought, _the same smell of the book I'm holding now._ He put his nose down and breathed deeply the aroma of ink and paper.

"Are you smelling books, Gajeel?" Levy stated with a giggle. Gajeel suddenly looked up and blushed. He had clearly forgotten that he wasn't alone.

"Nah, I wasn't," he shut the book with a slam and got back up to her feet. "Are you ready to go, then?" Gajeel was anxious to leave. They'd been at the store for little over an hour and he could tell the shop owner didn't appreciate having a scary looking man scaring away potential customers. _I thought you said we'd be in and out in no time at all, Levy,_ he silently reprimanded her. Bookstores were not his most favourite place on the planet, but he would endure the taunting glares the book spines gave him for Levy.

"Uh, I think so." Levy stood up as well, looking at the three books in her hand. "But, um, I can't-"

"Take all three. Just let's get out of here." He took the books from her and headed towards the counter. Levy cleared up the remaining books on the floor and headed out to meet him outside.

Gajeel was standing outside with two paper bags in his hands. "Did you buy something too, Gajeel?" she asked, slightly shocked. Gajeel was not one for reading books.

"No. This is one of your books," he handed on of the bags to her. "I'm going to keep the other two until after the job. You need to stay focused, and you can't do that if you're constantly thinking about whether Eleanor loves Nell or whatnot."

Levy's mouth hung wide open. _So he actually does care about the job and he isn't just coming along by means of apology to me._ She gave him a smile. "Alright, then. But you better hide them well. I can't guarantee that I won't try to find them."

" _Gihi,_ I know exactly where to put them, don't worry," Gajeel grinned at her.

Together they turned back around and headed back to Fairy Hills.

The sun was just about to set when they reached the building. The soft ruddy orange glow encompassed the trees in a haze reminiscent of a heavenly dream. The trees were rustling quietly in the breeze and the streets down in Magnolia were quiet.

 _It's rather perfect, isn't it?_ Levy thought to herself, admiring the view. After losing seven years on Tenrou, Levy had vowed to live in each moment, and not let one such as this go by unnoticed and unadmired.

Gajeel turned his head and looked at Levy. Her eyes were half-closed, the shadows of her eyelashes grazing her cheekbones. Her hair danced in the breeze, the glow of the sun picking out lighter strands of her amongst her cornflower blue hair. Rippling around her legs, her orange dress cradled her body, hugging to every curve. Gajeel's breath caught as he stared at her, noticing tiny details.

Levy turned her head and saw Gajeel staring at her. "Gajeel," she said quietly, "why are you staring at me?"

"Huh?" Gajeel was lost in thought, gazing at the small mage's entire being.

"Gajeel?"

"Oh, uh," he finally noticed Levy looking at him, a questioning look in her eyes. "I was just thinking, sorry.." he trailed off.

"Oh, okay then," she said, slightly disappointed about the reply but for a reason, she couldn't place. She began walking towards the main doors of the building, before turning around and saying,"Gajeel, you better rest up. I'll meet you at the guild at dawn like Mira-chan said, okay?" she smiled widely at him before turning around and disappearing into the building.

A loud sigh escaped Gajeels lips. _What is she doing to me?_ he wondered as he ran his uninjured arm through his mass of raven hair.

Without a further thought, he turned around and headed towards his apartment on the other side of the city, glad about the day's events. _Gihi,_ he snickered, _even Lily couldn't have predicted a better ending to the day._


	7. Chapter 7

**a/n: school starts the day after tomorrow and I'm already counting down the days till next summer. Anyways, enjoy this chapter. I'll try to make it longer than the last one as it was so short.**

Gajeel couldn't sleep. It's not that he didn't want to, he just couldn't. His mind was filled with images of Levy. He saw her dancing, sleeping, reading - all the things he saw her do on a daily basis. With a groan quiet enough not to wake up Lily, who was curled up next to him, he rolled off the bed and walked into the kitchen.

Grabbing the nearest chunk of iron, he sat down at the table and began munching through the metal. It was nearly dawn; the sun would rise in an hour, he predicted.

Trying to keep himself busy until he could leave for the guild at a decent time was one of the hardest things Gajeel had ever tried to do. He was filled with anxiety but was yet impatient. He aimlessly began moulding iron into shapeless forms without actually paying any heed to what he was doing. After seven mere minutes of occupying his thoughts, he suddenly stood up and headed out the door, grabbing his cloak and travelling bag on the way.

 _I'm going to bore myself senseless if I stay around much longer,_ he thought as his feet guided him through the streets.

Gajeel thought that taking a walk until he could arrive at the guild would clear his mind of the images of Levy that it had conjured up that made even him blush. He hadn't realised until his feet came to a stop to where he was headed for the entire time.

Fairy Hills.

He stood at the gate, unaware that he was walking in the direction of his partner's home from the start. _Well, since I'm here, I might as well walk her to the guild_.

As if on cue, he heard the gates rattle slightly as a petite figure shrouded in a dark cloak slipped out, a seemingly heavy bag in tow.

Levy backed out gently, careful of not letting her bag get caught on the iron spikes that jutted out of the gate, courtesy of Erza's innovative idea of discouraging any likely stalkers. She knew she looked rather comical as she dragged her bag across the floor, but it couldn't be helped. She had packed all the necessities and that hadn't taken up much space, but last minute she realised that she better bring several books in different languages with her so that she could solve the runes.

"Oi, Shrimp! You look like yer about to pass out from lugging that thing around," Gajeel called out, smirking. Levy dropped her bag and jumped backwards, clearly shocked to see Gajeel standing there ready for the journey.

"Ga-Gajeel! What are you doing here?" Levy asked once her heartbeat went back to normal and she had gathered her composure.

"Eh, couldn't sleep so I went outside and decided to walk you to the guild," he replied nonchalantly.

"Alright, then," she stooped down to grab the bag again before making her way, slowly, down the winding path to the streets of Magnolia.

"Do you need help there, Shrimp?" Gajeel inquired bounding forward with his long strides. "Kinda looks heavy."

"Ah, no. No, thank you. I can manage." Levy refused his help. He was already coming with her on the job, and she already had to rely on him for most of the physical fights. She didn't want to rely on him to do such a simple thing like carrying her luggage.

Levy's face showed signs of exertion. Her arms were trembling as she pulled her bag with all her might. Little beads of sweat were forming on her brow, and her face felt flushed and overheated.

Gajeel rolled his eyes and snatched the handles of the pack from her, lifting it above the ground with no effort. "You don't need to be stubborn, Shrimp. I already know yer strong. Just let me do the physical stuff, aight? I'm your partner, after all." he said to her in a quiet voice, with full sincerity.

Levy stood up straight, astounded. She felt a blooming sensation under her chest, as if what Gajeel had said had formed itself into pure light and was filling her with joy. Gajeel was not one to give compliments out so freely, and to do so meant that he genuinely cared for her. Levy couldn't have been happier to head to the guild, before dawn nonetheless, as she was then.

Gajeel saw a smile form on her pink lips after he had spoken. _I'm not going to let anything hurt you again, Shrimp. Not even a bag._

"Shit, Shrimp! What've you got in here?" the Slayer began a conversation with the bookworm, hoping to make the walk to the guild as enjoyable as possible.

"Oh, uh, a few changes of clothes, matches, first-aid kit, all the basics really. And books."

"Books?" he choked out. "I thought I told you to only bring one, Shrimp!"

"Mmm yeah, and I did. I only brought one novel. The rest are just books on languages that I'm not quite yet fluent at. I thought it'd help having my own resources rather than relying on the town's library after all."

 _Why did I even doubt her for a second? She's smart and determined. I don't think anything will distract her from the job._ Gajeel thought to himself, looking ahead at the town. _Except for me._ Unintentionally, he let out a " _Gihi_ ," causing Levy to look at him confused.

"Why did you laugh, Gajeel?"

"Huh? Oh, no reason, Shrimp."

Levy soon forgot about the sudden chuckle as she remembered something that she had meant to ask Gajeel before but always forgot.

"Gajeel?"

"Hmm, Shrimp?"

"Why do you call me Shrimp?"

"What? Oh, I don't really know," Gajeel pondered the question. Of all things to ask him, she had asked about the nickname he had unknowingly given her one day without thinking about it. He gave everyone nicknames; it wasn't something he particularly thought about. "I guess it's because you're small," he smiled at the pout she gave him at that, "and you wear orange."

"But that's just strange. I don't go around calling you Squid or Ink-" she was cut off suddenly by Gajeels laugh.

"Squid? Ink?" he wheezed out in between fits of laughter. He hadn't had a laugh like this in months, years even. Before he joined Fairy Tail, he hadn't even smiled a genuine smile of joy. That had changed after he met her, though.

"Well, yeah. Squid because you called me Shrimp and that was the first seafood I could think of, and Ink because you're always wearing black. Like ink. And it does correlate with Squid a bit don't you think?" Levy said in complete sincerity.

"Shrimp, you're one of the funniest people I've ever met," he let out his last chuckle before ruffling up her hair, fondly.

 _Funny,_ Levy thought. _What does that mean? Is it a good thing, to be funny. Or does that just lump me in with Lily, as just another 'funny' friend?_ Levy shook her head, clearing her thoughts. She was overthinking it. He just meant that she was funny after all. And he had laughed too.

"It's still not fair that I have a nickname like that and you don't," she said.

"Heh? You know, if you don't like being called Shrimp, you could've just said so."

"What? No, that's not what I meant. I don't mind it, much. And besides, it's not like you would've stopped calling me that; you love teasing me too much," she replied. "Have _you_ ever had a nickname like that, before?"

"Me, Shrimp? Nah, I never used to get close enough to anyone for them to give me a nickname." Both Gajeel and Levy noticed that he had used the past tense. He never _used_ to get close to anyone. But he does now, and that made Levy rejoice.

They continued walking in silence, nearing the guild. As they turned the final corner, Levy's eyes lit up. She came to a sudden stop.

"I have one!" she exclaimed in a loud voice.

Gajeel stopped too. "One what, Shrimp?"

"A nickname! For you!"

"Huh?"

"I thought of a nickname for you," she repeated feeling excited.

"I heard ye the first time," Gajeel rolled his eyes. "Alright then, what is it?"

Levy looked up at him, silent, letting the suspense build.

"Chipmunk," she finally revealed.

They were both silent for a while, no reaction from either of them. Gajeel burst into peals of laughter more intense than before. His stomach was aching and he gripping his sides as he resisted the urge to roll on the floor. "Chi-Chipmunk?"

Levy was confused. She didn't expect this kind of reaction. "Well, yeah, because when you eat or get angry or you're thinking your cheeks kind of puff up. You also hoard a lot of scrap metal, like chipmunks hoard nuts. Stop laughing, Gajeel!" she slapped his arm, pouting. _They're cute when they sleep too,_ thought, _but there was no way I'm telling Gajeel that._

"I can't," he barely managed those two words before laughing again. A few minutes later he had sobered up and could feel his cheeks and sides ache. He looked directly at Levy, who was beginning to look a little flustered and annoyed and said in all seriousness, "That has to be the most ridiculous nickname I've ever heard."

Levy opened her mouth to retort back before Gajeel interrupted saying, "I love it, _gihi._ "

Levy was obviously surprised; she didn't expect to hear that Gajeel liked it, especially not loved it. In fact, now that she thought about it, she didn't think that she'd ever heard him use that word before. _Love._ She blushed.

"There you are!" A third voice sounded in front of them.

Both Levy and Gajeel had been so engrossed in their conversation that they hadn't realised they had arrived at the guild.

"Was that you I heard laughing Gajeel?" Mira inquired, a rather devious look in her eye.


	8. Chapter 8

**a/n: First day of school over and done with so I can hopefully get around 3 chapters done tonight. Thanks all for reading this story, it makes me so happy. Anyways have a good day all of yous, and enjoy this chapter XD Mer** x

Mira shoved them inside the guild and closed the doors shut. The sun was already rising up and tendrils of gold peeked through the cracks around the door. The guild was peacefully calm without the members of Fairy Tail being there. The stools were upside down, hanging on the bar counter and the benches were tucked underneath their respective tables. All three of people in the room knew that the hall wasn't going to remain as clean and orderly once other more boisterous members begin arriving.

"Sit," Mira ordered them gesturing at two stools at the bar. Though her voice was sweet, it held a don't-mess-with-me-else-you-get-the-devil sort of vibe. Gajeel and Levy both sat down, waiting for Mira to give them any extra information. "So Gajeel, please tell me why you looked like you were having the time of your life outside?" She gave him a mischievous grin.

Blood rushed to Gajeel's head and his colour faded from crimson to purple and back again to a dark pink. "I wasna having any time of any sort!" he quickly dismissed the idea that even he, Black Steel 'Chipmunk' Gajeel could develop such human feelings like pure joy.

"Oh..." Levy said very quietly, in shock. She had honestly thought that Gajeel was genuinely happy outside, laughing at her jokes. _Why is he so complicated? He looks so happy and then says it wasn't anything and he's just confusing me so much!_ Try as she might, she just could not figure out Gajeel Redfox's character, for the life of her.

Gajeel's ears were already focused solely on Levy and he had heard her. _Shit, I made her sad again. Why do I do this? I just can't stop running my mouth and defending myself. I_ was _having a good time with her. Shit shit shit shit..._

Mira watched the pair as they were deep in their thoughts. This was going to be harder than she expected it to be. Especially since one half of her plan consisted of a stubborn and completely oblivious Slayer who ignored his own feeling and that of others. Mira let out a long sigh, snapping Gajeel and Levy out of their thoughts. She had to trust Pantherlily's idea, for now, and if that didn't work, she would publicly expose their attraction to each other and leave them to sort it out.

"So, I haven't found anymore references or any more information concerning the runes, however, I did take the time to get your train tickets in advance. It's holiday season so expect the station to be a bit more packed than usual. Also, as its a long journey to the village, I suggest you catch some sleep on the train. The Master heard a rumour that there are some hidden markings on the wall that can only be seen by the light of the moon. I don't know if that's true or not, but its best to check that out first so that you have some leeway when it comes to actually deciphering what the entire passage says.

Oh, I almost forgot. Erza gave me a message to give to you. She had apparently overheard that you were headed to Aclypha, and knew of some dark guilds around there, so be careful. I also suggest camping out rather than staying at an inn; the villagers aren't very friendly to people from outside of their village. I guess that's all."

Levy nodded at everything Mira was saying, creating a mental notepad with lists of things she had to remember. "Thank you, Mira-chan. That was really helpful."

"I'm sorry I couldn't give you anymore information about the job, but I know that you two can finish it successfully."

Gajeel grunted his thanks and with that, the Slayer and the Script Mage headed out to the train station.

Levy was balancing on the edge of the curb next to the river as they walked towards the station. Her arms were waving up and down and she swayed side to side trying to keep steady.

"Oi, Shrimp! You're gonna fall and get wet," Gajeel tried to call her off the dangerous edge but Levy was having to much fun at the little game she had invented. She wanted to truly see what measures Gajeel would take to get what he wanted and how long it took to frustrate him when she ignored him.

 _Honnnnkkkk!_

Levy slipped, surprised from the sudden noise, and narrowly avoided falling into the murky water to her right when Gajeel grabbed her from the waist and lifted her bodily onto the solid ground in front of him. "Are you alright?" Gajeel asked, concern clouding his features. Levy merely nodded.

He turned his head looking for someone and yelled, "OI! WHAT DO YOU THINK YER DOING PLAYING THAT GOD-AWFUL INSTRUMENT THIS EARLY?". The lanky man he was addressing shrunk back in fear. His face blanched as he saw the dark intense Slayer staring directly at him in fury. He began stuttering incoherently, scared for his life.

"Gajeel," Levy laid a gentle hand on Gajeel's arm as if to prevent him from beating the man up. "He didn't mean to scare me Gajeel. I'm just very jumpy. Let's just go." She began tugging at Gajeel's clothes pulling him away from the man.

Gajeel stiffened as Levy's hand to touched his arm. A faint blush tinted his cheeks but he forced his colour and heart rate back to normal as he backed away from the man, listening to Levy's soft voice. She was tugging at his shirt when he eventually turned around and soon forgot about the man with the trumpet.

They walked silently from then on, not knowing what to say. Levy knew he was trying to protect her; she was flattered by it. Though it upset her that he always resorted to such violent measure for something so little. She presumed it was because she was so small. Everyone wants to protect small things, she'd always been told.

Gajeel didn't know what to think. His arm was burning from where she had touched him. She had touched him before, when she was fixing up his injuries, but this was the first time she had ever voluntarily touched him without needing to stitch him up, or bandage something. He thought it was rather intimate, the way her delicate hand rested on his forearm able to control his movements without much persuasion. He knew he was a fool for seeking a fight in that man, but when she slipped so close to falling, Gajeel snapped and his protective instincts had kicked in. He would hurt whoever hurt Levy, whether it was intentional or not. And that slightly scared him.

The station was crowded, even though dawn was barely an hour ago. Families held hands, trying not to get separated and couples were walking arm in arm. Businessmen and regular folk were walking in a rush, shoving and pushing to get through the building.

Someone shoved into Gajeel, causing him to bump into Levy. "Sorry, Shrimp."

Levy smiled up at him, "It's alright. It's very crowded in here. I thought Mira was exaggerating. Thank the libraries that she bought our tickets beforehand."

Gajeel nodded his agreement. He looked around trying to find the sign for the train they were meant to take. He could see them. Though, he could't exactly read them that well. The letters jumbled up and seemed to turn into a different language as he tried to interpret them. It didn't help that it was extremely loud in the station either. All his senses were confused and he couldn't seem to focus on one thing.

Levy looked up at Gajeel. She could see that he was struggling to read the signs, and that slightly shocked her. She didn't expect him to be an amazing reader but she didn't think that he would struggle as much as he was. Knowing it would hurt his pride if she said anything, she poked him in the rib grabbing his attention.

"I think there is a map of the station over there. We can use it to find our train. We've some time yet," she lead the way, weaving in between people easily due to her small stature. Gajeel would've lost her if it weren't for her scent overpowering the others'.

He was slightly relieved that Levy had suggested finding the map. It was embarrassing enough not being able to read properly, but to have to admit it to a bookworm and someone he deeply cared about was nothing short of torture for him. He caught up with Levy who had already reached the map and was scanning the labels trying to find their train.

"That's the one!" she exclaimed as she slammed a finger on the coloured dot representing their train.

"Hmm. It's on the other side of the building. If we hurry, we might be able to get a compartment to ourselves," Gajeel said, pleased that he could at least read maps easily.

"How long did the she-devil say the train ride was again, Shrimp?" He patiently waited for an answer, and when there was none, he noticed the absence of his Shrimp's scent. "Shrimp?" he looked around, trying to spot Levy in the crowd but to no avail. She was too damn little. "Shit! I lost her!"

Gajeel tore through the crowd trying to find Levy. "Oi, have you seen a girl around this tall with blue hair and an orange dress?" he grabbed the nearest person to him who happened to be an old man and began describing Levy as best he could. When the old man failed to give an answer immediately, he spun around and held a young woman by the shoulders. "You! Have you seen a girl around your age but smaller and with blue hair-" Gajeel was cut of when the woman he was holding on too slapped him across the cheek with her purse. She walked off, leaving Gajeel in the middle of the station, red-cheeked and with still no clue as to where his Shrimp disappeared off to.

He walked back to where he last saw her and retraced his steps to where he noticed she was gone. He did that twice but came up with no clues. He let out a long frustrated sigh, angry at himself for not paying more attention to her. He ran both his hands through his hair, ignoring the pain that shot up his injured arm. _Where are you, Levy?_ he thought, looking up at the sky.

Gajeel's head suddenly snapped around. He had smelled the unmistakeable scent of Levy amongst unfamiliar ones. He whipped his body around to face the direction it had come from, startling a group of toddlers nearby.

He followed the scent as best he could, pausing a little when he lost it, only to find it again and get back on track. _I'll find you, Levy. I promise._


	9. Chapter 9

Levy was lost. She had never been good with directions, and had lost Gajeel in the crowd while she was following him. Her short legs were at a disadvantage compared to his longer ones and she was soon straggling behind him.

After being distracted by a proposal at which many people had gathered to watch, Levy had realized that she had lost Gajeel. She desperately looked around, trying to find the Slayer but couldn't see anything.

She tried to find her way towards the map, thinking that she could try to find her way to the train again, but she had taken too many wrong turns and was completely and utterly lost. As the day grew older, more people were surging into the station making it even more jam packed than it was before. Panic settled in her stomach, threatening to rise to her throat. She didn't know what to do.

Slowing down her breathing, she tried to calm her heart rate. The rational part of her mind took over. She could hardly use any magic to alter Gajeel of her whereabouts since the walls of the station included magic binding enchantments ensuring that no travellers were hurt by magic. She inwardly groaned. He couldn't see her because of her height and she'd lost her lucky bandana the day before so waving that around like a flag wouldn't work either.

"Levy!"

She perked up, thinking she heard her name being called. She strained her ears, thinking she had imagined it. When no-one called her name, she was disheartened. She had imagined it after all.

"Levy!"

The voice was louder than before and definitely real.

"Gajeel? I'm here!" she called out in the direction of the voice.

When she heard no reply she called out again, "Gaj-aaaaaah!" Levy shrieked as something grabbed her around the waist from behind, pulling her backwards.

"I'm here," Gajeel whispered in her ear as he hugged her tight.

He had thought that the unthinkable had happened to Levy. That she was forever lost to him and that the very last thing he had said was out of anger to an innocent man. The thought made him regret everything he had ever done all over again and he felt like his insides were torn apart. Finding Levy safe and unharmed made him act before he could think. He grabbed her in his arms, crushing her small body into his wishing that he could absorb her into him so the she would never leave him again. This small body did so much to him that he couldn't even understand but couldn't bear to live without. He was glad he found her.

"Gajeel." Levy simply said. She wasn't asking him anything. She said his name just to say it. Levy didn't know that Gajeel would react this way but knew in her heart that had she spotted Gajeel first, her reaction would have been the same. She stirred in his arms, trying to turn around.

"No. Don't move." Gajeel stopped her from turning by gripping tighter before releasing his hold a little. "Please..."

Levy sank into his body and rested her head back against his chest in reply. Gajeel having received the message, rested his chin on her soft hair and closed his eyes. _She was safe_ , he thought, and that was all that mattered.

They stayed there like that for a while in the middle of the station, completely oblivious to their surroundings. No one bothered them either..

"Train 238 from Magnolia to Acalypha leaving in ten minutes. Train 238 from Magnolia to Acalypha leaving in ten minutes." The announcement suddenly sounded, jolting Levy and Gajeel from their state of contentment. Their moment now ruined, Levy turned around to face Gajeel with a faint blush high on her cheeks.

"That's our train."

Gajeel nodded, a twin blush adorned on face. Levy turned around to start walking, before he grabbed her wrist. "Wait!"

Levy spun to face him, completely aware that he still held her wrist in his large warm hands. "What is it, Gajeel?" she asked, her eyebrows shooting up in concern.

"Yer to short, Shrimp. I'll lose you again if we keep walking in this crowd."

Levy huffed her annoyance at being called short yet again and shook off Gajeel's comment by walking off again. She had forgotten that Gajeel still held her wrist and was yanked back again.

"You didn't let me finish, Shrimp. Either you walk holding my hand," he paused looking down briefly at their joint hands, "or I throw you over my shoulder and carry you to the train. Yer choice, _gihi."_ he smirked.

Levy narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm _not_ going to let you throw me around like a sack of potatoes. So...we better go otherwise we'll miss the train." she slipped her hand up from Gajeel's grasp on her wrist and entwined her fingers in his. Her blush grew more prominent than before and was just shy of becoming red.

Gajeel squeezed Levy's hand and began walking fast towards their train.

When they finally arrived, Levy was exhausted from having to take so many steps just to keep up with Gajeel. They boarded the train with three minutes to spare and had even founded an empty compartment at the back of the train. After stowing their bags above them, Gajeel collapsed on the seat looking slightly nauseous. Levy sat down next to him, looking out the window.

The train began to move slowly out of the station, gradually gaining speed as they rushed out of the city of Magnolia and into the countryside.


	10. Chapter 10

**a/n: Sorry for not uploading; here is Chapter 10 for now, and I'm hoping to upload Chapter 11 tomorrow if I'm not to busy. Mer x**

 **Disclaimer: Fairy Tail still isn't mine**

"You know, you probably wouldn't be throwing up this much if you didn't eat breakfast," Levy commented as Gajeel heaved into a paper bag for the sixth time.

"Grrglgl gli glu...", Gajeel mumbled his response.

His face was pallid and in the two hours they'd been on the train, his cheeks had already sunken in, giving him the look of a corpse. His constant vomiting had cast a green shadow over his face. _He kind of looks like a zombie,_ Levy giggled.

Gajeel glared up at Levy. He might be uncomfortable and sick to his stomach but his hearing was working perfectly. "Stop laughin! It ain't funny," he closed his eyes and leant back, resting his head against the wall of the compartment.

"Sorry," she squeaked in between fits of laughter. Black Steel Gajeel, the Iron Dragon Slayer, who had never backed down from anything, was undone by a mere train ride. No matter which way you looked at it, the sight was funny nonetheless.

When Levy felt as if she could control her face without contorting it, she said, "Why don't you sleep, then?".

Gajeel opened his eyes and rolled them at her.

"Don't roll your eyes at me! I mean, if you sleep then you won't feel sick, right?" Levy explained.

"Shrimp... don't you think that with as many vehicles I've had to travel on, I wouldn't think of sleeping as an option to avoid getting motion sick?" Gajeel forced out through clenched teeth.

Heat rose to Levy's face. "Oh.. um. I didn't think of that,". They sat in silence. Well, Levy sat in silence and Gajeel was moaning and groaning. Levy's eyes suddenly snapped to Gajeel's.

"But wait, you didn't tell me whether sleeping works or not!" Levy said excitedly, pleased to have found the loophole in Gajeel's statement.

Gajeel groaned as he felt his empty stomach lurch. "I do-grrrggggllll... I don't sleep, Shrimp..uuuuugggggghh...be-because I c-mmmmgggggg- I can't," the Slayer said, his words interjected with groans, as he tried to prevent himself from puking once again.

Levy looked at him hard. "Hmmmm... I think I can help you with that." She stood up and rummaged through her smaller bag mumbling under her breath.

"What are you doing, Shri..grrggglll?"

"I'm looking for something. Aha!" her hand emerged from the depths of her bag holding a small container filled with tiny purple pills.

Gajeel looked at the pills dubiously between strands of sweaty hair. "Shrimp, I don't think they're gonna work, trust m-"

While Gajeel was talking, Levy had shook out two pills and had shoved them in the Slayer's mouth. Slapping her hand against his mouth, the only choice Gajeel had was to swallow the ghastly pill. Levy didn't move her hand until she saw his throat bob up and down, signalling that he had swallowed.

The Dragon Slayer stared hard at the tiny bookworm who had stuffed two pills down his throat. He noted that her hand was soft against his lips and a faint blush tinged her cheeks. Half her hair was messed up more than usual from leaning against the window but Gajeel thought it made her look cuter. _Gah, I can't even stand to hear myself think! I'm turning into a sissy with these thoughts... shit, I wish I brought Lily with us. He would know what to do._

Levy slowly removed her hand from his mouth, almost reluctantly. She liked the way that despite his hard and rough appearance, his lips were soft and seemingly gentle. She wondered what it would be like to kiss them. She mentally shook her head but couldn't avoid the small blush that came with the thought.

"What was in the pill, Shrimp?" Gajeel choked out, trying to rid himself of the eggy aftertaste. Though the pill looked relatively harmless and was odourless, it had a strong rotten fish and egg flavour that almost made even Levy gag from thinking about it.

"They're sleeping pills. I got them from Ms. Porlyusica a while ago," Levy told him.

Gajeel could feel the immediate effects of the pills drawing him into unconsciousness. "Why do you need slee..." Gajeel drifted off into a deep sleep before finishing his question.

Almost unconsciously, Levy's shoulder's relaxed as if they were tense before. She didn't know how to answer that. Would she ever tell him that every night she took one of those pills so that she didn't have any nightmares? That the nightmares were mainly of his other form, re-enacting their first encounter over and over again? _No,_ she decided, _I'm not going to tell him. I don't want to ruin what trust and friendship we have accumulated since then._

Levy sighed, and leaned back against her seat, looking at the scenery rush past them through the window. She glanced over at Gajeel, now sleeping peacefully next to her. His mouth was slightly open and his head tilted towards her. He looked calm. _He really does look like a chipmunk. Maybe a dark and scary chipmunk, but a chipmunk all the same. And all chipmunks are cute, no matter their personalities._

She looked back over to the window, smiling. The sun was high up in the sky and she knew that by now, the guild would be filled with her friends. Gray and Natsu were probably engaged in another fight; Juvia would be cheering Gray on while holding his clothes. Lucy wouldn't be aware of it, but she would only be staring at Natsu. Mira would be serving the guild and the Exceeds would be talking to each other. It was on long missions such as the one she was embarking on, that made her remember her friends and love them even more.

 _Squuueeeaallll._

The train's brakes squealed in protest as the brakes were put on. Suddenly, everything lurched to the right as the train veered off into another lane. The jerky movement had thrown Gajeel across the space between them and into Levy's lap.

The bookworm's face grew heated and red as she looked down at Gajeel's sleeping form. He was too heavy to move, so she resorted to turning his head so it was facing away from her. _The only reason I'm not moving him is because he's heavy,_ she was telling herself as she brushed away strands of inky hair from his face, _not because I like having his head on my lap where I can touch his hair._

As she repeated the same thought over and over in her head like a mantra, her face had returned to its normal complexion and her heartbeat was no longer racing.

She looked down at slumbering face. His piercings glinted every time the sun shone on them through the window. His eyebrows had settled out of their habitual frown and his mouth was set in a small smile. She never realised before that he had rather long eyelashes. Their shadows grazed the tops of his high cheekbones in graceful lines. His ears were rather delicate too. Not as large as one might think they would be. One was redder than the other, as it was crushed between her legs and his head. Each ear had four piercings. _I wonder how many piercings he has..._

In order to occupy herself, she gently touched one of his eyebrow piercings. _1 2 3..._ Levy began counting. Once she reached the number of 32, she let her finger wander a bit, letting it graze his pronounced jawline before going back to stroking his dark mane.

 _Is that all?_ Levy thought, wondering if maybe the mysterious man had any more piercings hidden under his clothes. She blushed at herself and looked out the window.

The warmth of the outside had seeped into the room and was beginning to make her feel drowsy. She closed her eyes for a moment and before she knew it she had drifted off into the empty void of sleep.

Levy's fingers were entangled in Gajeel's hair as she rested her cheek on the other, her elbow propped up by the armrest. The Slayer's head was lying on Levy's bare legs facing away from her, his legs tucked underneath him. One of his hands was on her knee and the other was under him. To anyone walking past their compartment, they would've looked like a couple. Both mages stayed asleep until the end of their long train ride.


	11. Chapter 11

**a/n: Thank you, everyone, for all the reviews x you don't know how happy I get when I read them. Here's a virtual hug for everyone who reviewed!**

"Excuse me, sir, ma'am. You're going to have to wake up now. We have arrived at our destination and the train will be leaving in five minutes!"

The train conductor was shaking Levy's shoulder while poking Gajeel's arm. He repeated himself again, albeit a lot louder.

Gajeel groaned as he swatted the conductor's hand away. His eyes blinked open and he stared bleary-eyed at the sweating man.

The conductor was a chubby middle-aged man who proudly wore his uniform despite the oil streaks and grease staining the front. His jowls hung rather low and his face was lined with wrinkles. With sunken eyes and puckered lips, he looked like a rather grumpy dwarf.

"I'm up, I'm up," Gajeel rubbed his eyes. "When does the train leave again?"

The conductor gasped, exasperated. He had been trying to wake the two up for a solid ten minutes, repeating the same thing over and over again and the one who had woken up in the middle of his sentence hadn't heard him at all.

He leaned close towards Gajeel. "In five minutes!" he leered, his hot breath prominent in Gajeel's face, before turning around and marching back to the caboose.

Gajeel tried not to flinch as he felt the hot garlicky breath wash over his face but he was gagging on the inside. _The Shrimp's being really quiet,_ he thought as he remembered that he wasn't alone on the train. _Where is she?_

He turned over onto his side and realised that his head was balanced precariously on a pair of narrow knees. Gajeel's eyebrows furrowed deeply as he wondered who's knees he was lying on. He turned onto his back and immediately heat rose to his cheeks as his whole being flushed red.

While he had turned around, Gajeel's head movement had driven up a certain orange skirt, revealing a pair of delicate white lace panties belonging to a certain Solid Script Mage. He let his eyes wander up until he saw tendrils of soft cerulean hair framing her elfin face.

Gajeel tentatively lifted up one hand, his blush still obvious, and ran his thumb across Levy's cheekbone. _Her skin is so smooth._

Levy's eyes snapped open when she realised that the odd feeling of something touching her face didn't belong to her dream. She looked down and made eye contact with the Dragon Slayer who's hand was cradling one side of her face. Gajeel snatched his hand back and suddenly sat upright as he realised she had woken up. Both Fairy Tail members were as red as ripe tomatoes, veering on the edge of a nosebleed.

Levy hadn't noticed that her dress was hitched up but she did notice that the man who's hair she was playing with only hours ago would only look at just above her head, avoiding her eyes and anything below entirely.

"Uh, good morning?" Levy stuttered, trying to ease the awkward tension.

"It's late afternoon, Shrimp," Gajeel huffed.

Levy mentally slapped herself. Of course, though it seemed days ago, it was really only this morning that Gajeel had walked her to the guild hall and she had gotten lost at the station.

"Oh, right..." She looked out the window and realised that they were already at their destination.

Levy jumped out of her seat and saw her dress fall back down to her knees. Her cheeks flushed a bit as she realised why Gajeel was avoiding her gaze but she was thinking about other more pressing things.

"Gajeel," Levy asked, "How long have we been here?"

"Hmm, oh the train-man came in and said they would be leavin in abou' five minutes," Gajeel frowned. "But that was a while ago..."

As in confirming Gajeel's response, the train began moving slowly out the station, steam billowing past their window, temporarily blocking their view.

"Shit! I'm not riding the train again," Gajeel exclaimed already feeling bile rising up the back of his throat.

"What should we do, Gajeel?" Levy clutched her bags against her chest.

The Slayer looked out the clearing window, noting that the train had picked up a little speed but wasn't moving as fast as before. They didn't have much time then. He turned his head to face Levy, looking into her eyes. "We jump."

Levy's eyes widened and her face paled but she clenched her jaw and nodded in agreement. "Let's go!"

Together they hauled their belongings to the escape door and Gajeel burst it open using his arm as an iron battering ram. They could see the ground running adjacent to the train in front of them.

Levy peered out the door and saw the end of the concrete floor in front of them. Beyond the pavement was a sheer drop that fell thousands of feet off the face of the cliff. They had to jump now else they miss their chance.

She reached out and grabbed Gajeel's hand. Levy knew that the Slayer was feeling nauseous and could barely stand on his two feet.

"Do you trust me?" she looked up at him. "Gajeel, do you trust me?" she asked again, receiving a groan.

"Shrimp. I'd trust you with my life. Why are you asking me this now.. gggglglll" Gajeel struggled to get the words out.

Levy took a deep breath and counted to three. _Here we go,_ she leaped out the moving train pulling Gajeel with her.

They went flying through the air, their clothes flapping against the wind. The train's wheels were loud against their ears and they felt as if the floor couldn't meet their feet soon enough. When they did, Levy and Gajeel tumbled across the ground to the far side, crashing against a wall.

At some point during their brief flight, Gajeel had grabbed Levy around the waist and clutched her to him as they fell with him taking the brunt of it all.

"Ooof..." Gajeel closed his eyes as he panted heavily. The nauseating feeling in his stomach had subsided but adrenaline coursed through his veins. He looked over at Levy who had been thrust over his stomach, her dress slit down her thigh.

"You okay there, shorty?" He was greeted with an answering grunt as Levy slowly got off Gajeel. Her stomach felt slightly bruised but she knew that the Slayer was covered in a lot more injuries than she was.

They both sat their side by side, hands millimetres from touching. Both their eyes were closed and their heads were resting back against the wall. Levy, though, had a smile blooming on her face.

"Do you really trust me with your life, _Chipmunk?"_


	12. Chapter 12

**a/n: I'm back! Sorry for being gone for a while. But I hope yous all enjoy the next couple of chapters (:**

Gajeel turned his head to face Levy and scowled. "Just because I said it, doesn't mean I meant it, Shrimp," his frown deepened, "and don't call me _chipmunk_ in public."

Levy's laughed, her voice like bells in the quiet of the afternoon. "We're not in public, _Chipmunk._ AndI thought you liked that nickname." She pouted gazing into his eyes.

 _Dammit, I can't think straight when she's looking at me like that,_ Gajeel suddenly growled and scrambled to his feet. "We need to go find that archolologist guild or whatever..." he trailed off, painfully aware that he had mispronounced that damn word.

"Archolologist? Oh! You mean archaeologist," Levy couldn't contain her laughter try as she might.

"Yeah, yeah. I can't pronounce the damn word...no need to laugh..." he trailed off once again, blushing furiously. It was just like him to mess up a word in front of a notorious book reader and Script Mage. He looked up and saw the sun was above their heads, glaring at them from its high advantage. In the distance, he could hear the advancing rumble of the next train. "But really, we should get out of here. Next train is almost here."

Levy nodded, already gathering her things. She stood up bag in tow and began walking towards the station doors.

"Wait!" Gajeel exclaimed.

Levy turned around to see him still blushing, albeit for a different reason than his prior embarrassment. He was looking at her dress.

"What is it, Gajeel?" Levy asked impatiently. Now that they had finally reached the village, she wanted nothing more than to find the ruins and begin deciphering the runes.

"Uh, you can't go walking around like that," he beat around the bush pointing towards the tear in her dress.

Levy looked down and immediately turned red. With a yelp, she jumped back and clasped to ends of her dress together. The leap off the train did more damage than some subtle bruising. A loose thread had caught on the train door and as she and Gajeel had leapt off, her dress had torn.

Her orange dress was slit up to her hip bone on the left side, showing her panties to the world. The bottom hem was raggedy and the bow on top had come undone, causing her the top half of her dress to slightly sag showing a slight curve of her breast. She looked a little worse for wear.

Gajeel rolled his eyes as he watched Levy's desperate attempts to cover herself up and preserve her modesty. He shrugged his dark cloak of and threw it around her shoulders, fastening it at the base of her throat with an iron brooch. His movements were so fast that Levy didn't realise what he had done until he took a step back.

"Umm, thank you..." she mumbled. It was humiliating enough not realising what kind of state her clothes were in but having Gajeel help her cover up touched her heart and a now-familiar fluttering began beating at her chest.

"Ready to go?" Gajeel continued on, pretending her temporary dishabille had never occurred.

"Mmmhmm. Let me just grab-" Levy stopped talking when she realised that the Dragon Slayer had already picked up all their bags and was walking ahead.

"If I let you carry your bags, we wouldn't make it to that guild in 10 years, _gihi_."

Levy scowled, her bottom lip jutting forward. She nearly ran to catch up with the man ahead of her. "That wasn't nice Gajeel."

"Nope! It was funny, _gihi._ " Gajeel ignored her reproving looks as he cheerfully meandered his way to the centre of the village.

They walked in a comfortable silence. Levy's hands were occupied with a map she had procured from her pack and was reading it, trying to find the way to the guild. Wary of Mirajane's warning that the village did not take kindly to strangers, they had both resorted to walking down quiet and empty streets, avoiding people as often as they could.

"Aha!" Levy beamed. "I found it! If we follow this street to the end, we should come to a fountain and...wait, that's not right." She stopped suddenly, absorbed in the map.

"I thought ye said ye knew where we were goin', Shrimp?" Gajeel looked back at the bluenette.

"I do know, and we are going the right way. It's just that this map says that at the end of this street there is a fountain."

"And?" Gajeel asked her, not getting why she was getting so worked up.

"Well, that's the thing. At the end of the street, where the guild hall is meant to be, is just a fountain. That's it." Levy looked up at Gajeel, thoroughly confused.

The Iron Mage's forehead scrunched up as he pondered on the best course of action. The day was growing late, and they had to find the ruins before nightfall so they could read some runes with the moonlight.

"Let's just go this fountain, Shrimp. We might find something." He sighed. The intense heat from the sun was giving him a headache and he was hungry. So very hungry.

"Okay..." Levy replied, not sounding certain.

They continued walking down the street, passing house after house when lo and behold, at the end of that very street was a grand fountain.

The bowl of the ceramic fountain had grooves so it resembled an upturned sea-shell. From the centre of the sea-shell, grew a single branch, twisting on its self to create a rope-like texture. The top of the branch suddenly gave out to a large flower whose petals were in the shape of flames. The tip of each flame was embedded with hundreds of tiny red jewels which glittered in the sunlight. Water sprouted from the flower in a magnificent arc before diving into the depths of the shell.

"It's beautiful!" Levy's eyes widened as she beheld the stunning ornament. She unconsciously took a step forward. And then another one. And before she knew it, as if by instinct, her fingers brushed against a circular knob on the white branch.

The ground began shaking suddenly and Levy lost her balance. Gajeel was also having trouble standing and had lost his grip on the bags he held. "What did you do, Levy?" he shouted, using her name.

The tiny mage looked up at the bigger man in surprise. Despite the situation they were in, he had used her name for maybe the first time. The ground shuddered more and the fountain _groaned_ as it began to rise up.

Levy yelped as she realised that the fountain wasn't growing but rather the ground surrounding it was falling. Feeling disoriented, she fell onto her hands and knees, trying to crawl towards Gajeel.

The ground shuddered once more and in an instant, the ground which both Fairy Tail mages were lying on, fell faster underground. The buildings around them were a blur and everything took on a reddish tinge as they shot towards where Hell must be.

Abruptly coming to a stop, the momentum didn't prevent Gajeel and Levy colliding into each other once more as they fell haphazardously in a heap on the ground.

Groaning they both got up. "Why does this always happen to us?" Levy grumbled, trying to regain feeling in her right arm after Gajeel had landed on it.

The Slayer looked over at her said once again, "What _did_ you press, Shrimp!?"


	13. Chapter 13

Levy got up to her feet without answering. The day, being so eventful had worn her out. She looked around and noticed that the strange feeling as if they were falling was caused by the ground next to the fountain flipping over and thrusting them into the gaping jaws of the Underworld.

That wasn't where they were, though. She had read many novels on Hades' kingdom but she knew that this was neither the pits of Tartarus nor the ninth circle of Hell. In fact, they were in a large tavern with barrels of alcohol stacked against one wall and tables and chairs organised randomly around the room. The reddish glow was cast by strings of red light lacrima draped across the ceiling.

"I think we found the guild, Gajeel," Levy said in a hushed whisper.

The Iron Mage only nodded his head meekly in response. Despite being an archaeologist guild, they had access to some powerful historical magic that could hide their guild underground and provide an entrance as elaborate as the one both he and Levy had come through.

He got to his feet and began walking around, absent-mindedly letting his fingers graze along the rough surface of the wooden tables.

"Hoy, there! Are you the Fairy Tail mages?" a croaky old voice called out from above.

Gajeel and Levy looked up to the second level of the strange hall to see a tall wizened crone hanging over the bannister like a child would.

"Yes!Yes! It is you!" the man answered himself, before running towards the staircase and descending them. When he reached the bottom, he continued running towards the baffled mages and grasped their hands between his own.

"So good to see you! So, so good." He babbled on shaking their hands wildly. "I am Jopp. Master Archaeologist of this guild. So good to see you!" he repeated.

Gajeel rudely pulled his fingers from the old man's grasp as he shook his head. "Why the hell didn't ye tell us that the entrance was like that? I'd prefer to climb a million stairs than fall through the ground again!"

Through Gajeel's sudden outbreak, Jopp just looked at him solemnly with a glint in his eyes and nodded thoughtfully. " _The descent into Hell is easy,_ my lad. Would you like something to eat?" Jopp merely said confusing Gajeel even further. Levy, however, understood what the old man was implying and finished the quote, smiling, " _The rise to Heaven is unyielding._ "

Jopp's answering grin stretched from ear to ear. "Yes! Yes, my child! I knew you were the smart one when I saw you!" He had glanced over at Gajeel when he spoke.

"Oi! Whaddya mean by that? Huh!" he huffed angrily, chest swelling up in the anticipation of a fight. Gajeel caught himself, though, as he realised who he would be fighting if it came to that, and immediately calmed down. "I'm smart too, ye know," he said sullenly, seeking approval from this paternal figure.

The crone just smiled and patted the taller man's arm, "Yes! Yes! You can be smart, I think." Jopp turned around then, one hand on Gajeel's arm and another looped around Levy's elbow, and proceeded to drag them to a room half-hidden by the shadows.

"I must talk with you. Yes! Yes!" he said, more to himself than the two he was addressing.

After opening the door and shoving them inside, he quickly shut the door behind him, turning a series of brass locks. If Gajeel and Levy were to escape, the door would take a hell of a long time to open up. _But that wasn't why Jopp was locking them in_ , Levy thought. The older man seemed anxious as he pressed an ear against the door. _If anyone suspicious was coming, Gajeel would've smelled them already._ She reassured herself.

"Now, sit! Sit!" Jopp turned around, content for the moment that nothing dangerous would come their way.

Levy and Gajeel looked around the small study trying to find something to sit on. Not finding any chairs or stools, they both resorted to sitting on the cushions on the ground.

"You are hungry. Yes! Yes!" Jopp chattered happily as he procured some fruit and dried meat from a drawer under his desk. "Here food! Yes!" He nearly threw the food into their laps as he stumbled over a ridge in the carpet, while rushing towards them.

"Ah, thank you," Levy said gratefully. She picked up a red apple, and despite its bruising, she sunk her teeth into the flesh and nearly moaned when the clear juices ran down her chin. She had almost forgotten that she was hungry with all the excitement happening that day. Completely oblivious to everything else, she munched her way through two more apples before noticing that her teammate hadn't touched one thing.

"Oh, that's right!" She mentally smacked herself. Reaching into her pack she brought out her pen and proceeded to write something in the air.

"No! No! Magic is no!" Jopp frantically stood up waving his arms, trying to prevent Levy from casting any spells but he was too late.

"Solid Script: Iron!" Levy had already said, a huge hunk of iron words fell out off thin air falling into Gajeel's lap. He tried not to show his anticipation in eating such delicious metal but he couldn't and began to instantly chow down the metal, wolfing it down his throat.

Jopp's eyes grew wide as he saw the human mage eating solid iron, crunching it with his sharp teeth before swallowing it. He was momentarily distracted by the sight before he remembered something.

"No! No! Magic, no!" he fell onto the floor, knees to his chest and hands to his ears while rocking back and forth.

Levy looked inquiringly at Gajeel. "What does he mean, 'no magic'?"

"I dunno, Shrimp-" Gajeel was cut off from the rest of his sentence as a _whoosh_ surrounded the room. The candles in their holders sputtered and went out.

The room was thrust into complete darkness.


	14. Chapter 14

**a/n: I'm back! Sorry for being off for so long. I had writer's block for a while. To help me out with this story, could you guys comment an event or a small scene that you want to happen in the reviews. It can be something small like Levy gives Gajeel a peck on the cheek after something happens or Gajeel has to take care of an injured Levy. Anything like that really. But thanks again for reading! Love every single one of you. Mer x**

Levy's breath caught as the darkness surrounded her. She couldn't help the uncontrollable trembling that began at her feet and moved towards her shoulders. The rational part of her mind couldn't console the rest of her body. It never could. Not when complete darkness was involved.

Her knees were locked and her breath hitched whenever she heard a sudden noise. Clenching her hands into fists, she began to whisper words of encouragement under her breath.

Gajeel looked over to where Levy's quiet whispering was audible. With his enhanced vision, not even he could make out objects in the shroud of black. But he knew, for a while now, that Levy was not overly fond of the dark. He slowly began to move towards to the flowery scent of old parchment and roses.

Inching closer to Levy, he could hear and sense Jopp's presence cowering under the desk. He too was shivering in fear. _In fear of what?_ Gajeel thought. Finally reaching to where Levy's scent was the strongest, he reached out a hand and sighed when he felt the bookworm's warm waist under his hand.

Levy squealed and jumped when she felt a large object suddenly press against her waist. Her heart was hammering in her chest and her trembling got worse.

"Shhh," Gajeel murmured. "It's only me. Relax, Shrimp." He reached out again and drew Levy towards his body trying to calm her panicked state. He felt Levy's body slacken as she gave into his hold and that made him grip on even tighter. "It's okay, now. The dark ain't gonna hurt you, Shri-", he was cut off by a loud sniffle from under his chin.

Levy shifted in Gajeel's arms, coming to her senses. The dark always did that to her, ever since she was a child and _that_ happened. Tears began running down her cheeks as she realised that Gajeel had obliviously saved her from reliving her worst memories as she usually did.

She pulled away reluctantly but grabbed Gajeel's hand instead, clutching it between both of hers.

"Tha-thank you, Gajeel..." she whispered feebly. Gajeel only grunted in response.

Now that his Shrimp wasn't trembling in fear, he was concerned with finding the source of the darkness. "Oi! Old man! Why the hell did it go dark in 'ere?" he addressed Jopp loudly.

"Sssshhhhh! No, no, be quiet! They're coming, they're coming, they're coming, they're coming, they're coming..." Jopp repeated the last words over and over again until it sounded a bit like a mantra albeit, an unhelpful one at that.

"Who's coming?" Gajeel asked. "Oi! Oldie, I'm talkin' to ye! Who's bloody coming?" Gajeel spun around, facing where he assumed the desk was and asked in a louder voice.

"I believe, that the runt was talking about us. Wouldn't you agree, Caruthe?" A new voice echoed in the darkness. The voice was beautiful and educated, clear-sounding and resonating. But what gives beauty as a first-impression usually turns out to be corrupt underneath.

"Who's there? Show yerself you bastard!" Gajeel taunted the voice, annoyed that the man behind the voice was choosing to hide behind a shroud of darkness.

The voice just laughed. "Caruthe, I think we should show ourselves to them. It was fun playing with them while it lasted."

A bright white light suddenly pierced the room, drowning everything in a harsh glow. It took the inhabitants of the room a while for their eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness. Levy looked behind and her eyes widened. Gajeel followed suit and so did Jopp.

Standing in front of the door to the office, were two tall men. The door was still closed and barred. _They're projections?_ Levy thought to herself but mentally shook her head. _No. Not projections. One of these men was able to bring forth light to repel the darkness. Magic cannot be used across projections._

"And who're you suppose' to be, eh?" she had almost forgotten that the Iron Mage, her teammate, was still standing next to her, his eagerness for a fight literally dripping in fumes from his very being. She remembered his words of consolement and her face threatened to flush red before she suppressed herself. _Now's not the time, Levy._ She mentally chided herself.

"Who are we?" The beautiful voice from before mused. The voice belonged to the shorter and the lankier of the two men. He was dressed in long crimson robes with gold thread embroidery on the sleeves. But anything beautiful about him ended at his neck. His face was horribly ugly as if the Creator of the Universe had decided to intentionally create the ugliest man on the planet. "Who are we, he asks!" he repeated again, with a short bark that was meant to pass as laughter. "

"Who are we, he asks!" he repeated again, with a short bark that was meant to pass as laughter. " _We,_ are Night Omen! You would do well to remember that name, uneducated lout." The man's tone had changed from amused to disgusted in a matter of mere moments.

"Memik," the man's companion spoke, preventing Gajeel from launching into a series of comebacks he had ready for the ugly man.

"These commoner's are not worth our time. Get rid of them and continue with the planning." The second man was more broad in the shoulders than the first man, Memik. He was middle-aged, but anyone could see that he was handsome in his youth. He too wore long robes of the same fashion, though his were a deep midnight blue and the embroidery was in silver.

"I shall see it done, Caruthe," Memik took a step forward and raised a hand, palm facing away from him. His eyes glowed an eerie green as he proceeded with his magic.

"Oi! What do ye think yer-"

"Wait! You can't-"

Both Levy and Gajeel were cut off from their simultaneous protests as the air they were breathing began to thin. A few moments later, the life was visibly drawn from their faces, cheekbones prominent against the stretched skin of their face. Levy knew no-one would last much longer if the man continued sucking out their life source.

"ARRGGHHH!" Levy whipped her head around as fast as her weakened state would let her.

Somehow, despite having his very soul sucked out of him, Gajeel had managed to attack Caruthe, temporarily throwing Memik off balance.

That moment's hesitation on Memik's behalf allowed enough oxygen to return to Levy that she had already figured out the flaw in Memik's magic.

She drew herself up to her feet and took out her Solid Script pen. "I. Don't. Need. Gajeel. To save. Me." Levy wheezed out forcibly. _I can fight my own battles!_ she finished her thought as she began to write in the air.

Gajeel was already engaged in a full-scale fight with the leader of the pair. His right arm was now an iron pole barring Caruthe from backing away any further and he was using his bare left arm as a shield against the intense white light the dark mage was aiming at his eyes.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw a flicker of orange and swish of blue. His Shrimp had stood up to fight and with an eager expression on her face was writing in the air. _Gihi,_ he thought, _I can't let my Shrimp be the only one winning._ He pulled his attention back to Caruthe, and with more intensity than ever, he barrelled into the older man.


	15. Chapter 15

**Hi guys! I'm finally back. It's been almost a month since I last updated and I feel really bad so I'm going to try and upload at least 3 lengthy chapters for you all to make up for it. Just wanted to thank MMthemagical for their idea. I'm going to use it in this chapter but all credit goes to you x**

A flash of bright light blinded Gajeel's eyes momentarily before he was flung across the room with a mere swish of Caruthe's hand. "You'd do well not to mess with me, boy," Caruthe drawled out in his bored tone.

" _Gihi_ , I love it when villains say that, old man! It just makes me wanna mess with them even more," Gajeel offered the Dark Mage his trademark smirk and gave no warning as his arm suddenly transformed into a long iron pole, neatly slamming into the older man's side.

"I see you brought your girlfriend into this fray too," Caruthe wheezed out clutching his side with one arm. Behind his back, in his free arm, a ball of bright white light was steadily growing. All he needed to do was delay the Iron Slayer's actions for just a bit longer. And he knew exactly how to do that.

"Whatcha talkin' about, old man?" Gajeel barked out, cheeks tinged slightly pink. "We're here on an assignment and we don' need ye getting in our way!"

"Oh? So, not your girlfriend? Hmmm, well I guess that makes sense. She's much too good for you anyway. From what I can tell,". A small smile bloomed on Caruthe's face before turning into a cruel grimace. His spell was ready; all he needed was for Gajeel to charge at him. _One more taunt should do it,_ he thought to himself - as was his speciality. Caruthe preferred to twist and use the emotions and feelings of his enemies to gain an advantage, not liking to use too much of his magic. "I guess she has her eyes on someone else back home, am I right? I mean, anyone would be better than you. You seem to have too much of a typical bad guy complex: parents left you abandoned when you were younger, had to live tough to survive, joined a guild, decided to keep that menacing persona, not willing to trust anyone. Yes, I can see how someone like you would be interested in a tiny fairy like her, but I guess it would take nothing short of a miracle to get her interested in you." Caruthe's eyes glinted at his last remark and brought his hand from behind his back just in time to see Gajeel charging at him.

"YOU TALK TOO MUCH, OLD MAN!" Gajeel roared as he unleashed his Iron Dragon Sword.

As fast as lightning, Caruthe thrust the pulsing ball of light at Gajeel before the Slayer knew what had happened. The light expanded, covering Gajeel's entire body until not even his outline could be identified in the intense brightness.

The light had a dizzying effect on Gajeel, and moments after the light had faded away, he collapsed onto the floor, completely knocked out.

The bright flash of light had distracted both Memik and Levy in the midst of their battle. The petite mage's mouth opened in shock as she saw Gajeel's unmoving form heaped unceremoniously on the floor. Her mouth set in a grim line but her eyes betrayed her fear.

 _I have to save Gajeel,_ she thought. _But how?_ Levy's eyes darted around trying to find the solution to her problem. Meanwhile, Memik had recovered from the last blow and was preparing to suck all the remaining air out of Levy for the final time.

Levy glanced up and immediately understood what the ugly man's plan was. She whipped out her Solid Script Pen and scribbled a word in the air.

Her magic activated just in time; Memik had begun drawing in all the air. She smiled secretly to herself when she saw him realise what the word said. Memik's eyes grew wide in fear and he attempted desperately to stop his spell.

However, it was too late.

 _Reverse._

That was the word Levy had written in the air and its properties were already beginning to reflect Memik's magic back at himself.

His already sunken cheeks were growing more hollow and his cheekbones were prominent against his stretched skin. His mismatched eyes bulged and his thin hands were clawing at his stubby neck. Within minutes, Memik collapsed, completely defeated.

 _One point for Levy!_ The Script Mage congratulated herself with a smile. She turned around to tell Gajeel, before remembering that he was unconscious and the man who defeated him was still in the room.

"Oh. That was very, very impressive," Caruthe drawled out. Levy's panicked eyes swivelled around to meet his unperturbed ones. "But it seems like I have to deal with you myself," he sighed.

The room began to glow. Slowly everything began to take on a white hue and Levy knew that before long, the room would be so bright that her eyes would begin to hurt and she would collapse just as Gajeel did. She had to do something. And do it now!

A thought came to Levy's mind and without a second doubt proceed to write in the air once more.

The brightness of the room suddenly swerved and everything began to turn to shadows. It was a battle of light and dark, and neither side was giving up.

But Levy knew to win she had to allow her fear to protect her. Taking a steadying breath, the petite woman recounted Gajeel's comforting words and allowed the ultimate darkness to fill the room.

As she suspected, Caruthe was vulnerable in the dark. His powers were lost and he was temporarily weakened. _He is rather like a flower without the sun,_ she thought to herself, attempting to ignore the darkness around her.

 _Just a few more seconds._ She could hear Caruthe beginning to whimper, crawling away.

Levy released her hold on the shadows, and everything returned back to normal.

Caruthe was leaning against the wall, looking paler than usual. His light was gone and for a short while, Levy would have the upper hand.

Without pausing for a second thought, Levy marched up to Caruthe, grabbing a heavy book from Jopp's bureau and smacked it over Caruthe's head, knocking him out.

She released her breath, not even realising that she had forgotten to breathe.

 _Gajeel!_

Levy turned around and lurched towards were Gajeel was still lying down. She sat down next to him, turning his body around and lifting his head onto her lap. Her fingers were deftly moving through his wild hair as she sought out any head injuries.

He didn't seem to be injured. Only unconscious. Levy sighed in relief, and Gajeel's eyes flew open.


	16. Chapter 16

Gajeel blinked once. Then twice. And again for a third time, before realising where he was.

He tried to scramble to his feet but immediately felt sick as soon as his head left Levy's lap. The walls were spinning around and bile rose in his throat.

"Gajeel! Slow down, you might have a concussion!" Levy tugged Gajeel's head back down by pulling on his thick hair.

"Ow! Oi, Shrimp, that bloody hurts! Don't go around pulling on Slayer hair, kay? It's precious stuff, our hair." He retorted but nevertheless lay back down.

"I see you are back to normal then," Levy remarked, giggling.

"Shrimp?" Gajeel said, his eyes closed.

"Yes, Chipmunk?" Levy bit back a laugh.

"Oi! Don't call me-Gah! Nevermind..." Gajeel clutched his head against the onslaught of migraines. "What happened to the evil people? My awesome roar got them, didn't it?" He smirked.

Levy smiled slightly at that, her eyes glinting with pride. "Er, actually... um, Istoppedthemboth,". In her shock and embarrassment, Levy's words ran together breathlessly.

Gajeel frowned. "Levy... I can't understand a word you're saying when you talk fast."

Levy took a deep breath and composed herself. "Um, I stopped them both," she repeated much slower, looking into Gajeel's eyes. The Iron Slayer stared back for a few empty minutes before he finally comprehended what she was saying.

"Then don't be too bloody shy to say so! Damn it, Shrimp! If you defeat a two Dark Mages on your own, then freaking say so! Not many mages can do that, idiot..." Gajeel spurt out all of a sudden, causing Levy to jump a little.

The said Mage's cheeks blushed a deep red and a small smile grew on her face. "I did, didn't I?" she said, mostly to herself. Her colour returning back to normal, she slapped Gajeel on the arm. "And don't call me an idiot! You're the idiot for getting yourself hurt and making me save the both of us!"

"Tsch. You didn't need saving," Gajeel replied bluntly. An awkward silence ensued between them.

"I'm feeling better now. Let's go find out what the hell that was all about," Gajeel got up slowly, brushing himself off, before lending a hand to help Levy up too.

"Now where the devil did that frog-man go?" Gajeel searched the room with his eyes.

"Frog-man?" Levy asked nervously, keeping her eye out for any frog-human hybrid.

"You know? The weird historian who kept saying 'yes'. What was his name again?" Gajeel pondered, "Joss? Poj? Jepp?"

"Yes! Yes! I am Jopp!" The mysterious frog-man peered out from under the large mahogany desk and stared warily at the two Fairy Tail Mages.

"Ah! They are gone, good, good." Jopp remarked.

Gajeel raised a studded eyebrow and Levy's mouth opened in surprise.

"You were-"

"What the-"

Both Mages began talking at the same time.

"Were you under the freaking desk this entire time?" Gajeel shouted at the short man.

"Gajeel..." Levy placed a dainty hand on the Slayer's arm, trying to calm him down.

"Er, yes, yes?" Jopp admitted, feeling ashamed. "I'm no fighter. I can't do anything. So I hide, yes? And then they don't find me. I was going to let you hide too!" Jopp tried to make up for his cowardice.

Gajeel only sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with a forefinger and thumb. "Whatever. Just tell us the devil we need to know, and who the hell those Night Omen people were and we're out of here. Got that?" he snapped his fingers under Jopp's nose.

"Yes! I got that! I will get right to it." the historian waddled around his desk before sitting back down on his tall chair. He reached into a drawer and pulled out a pile of parchment and several files before getting comfortable enough to speak again.


End file.
